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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/17/journey-the-unfinished-swan-to-launch-as-cross-buy-games-on-ps4/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/17/journey-the-unfinished-swan-to-launch-as-cross-buy-games-on-ps4/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/17/journey-the-unfinished-swan-to-launch-as-cross-buy-games-on-ps4/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#comments
We already knew that the PlayStation 4 would be getting updated versions of two of the PS3's most visually striking games when Sony confirmedJourney and The Unfinished Swan were headed for Sony's new console.

However, according to comments left by Sony Santa Monica Community Strategist Aaron Kaufman on a PlayStation Blog post announcing the ports, not only are the games making the trip from previous to current-generation consoles, but they will be Cross-Buy compatible.

"Once Journey is downloaded you will be able to download it for free on any other platform available through the PlayStation Network, much like how fl0w and Flower were launched for PS4," Kaufman wrote before adding, "And The Unfinished Swan as well!" In other words, if you already own either game on PS3, you'll be able to enjoy them on PS4 at no additional cost.

DestructoidPlayStation Blog
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1080pcross-buygiant-sparrowindiejourneyplaystationps3ps4sonyThatGameCompanythe-unfinished-swanSun, 17 Aug 2014 19:30:00 -040011|20948135http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/journey-the-unfinished-swan-confirmed-for-ps4/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/journey-the-unfinished-swan-confirmed-for-ps4/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/journey-the-unfinished-swan-confirmed-for-ps4/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsLate last month, a Sony landing page for Gamescom 2014 indicated that games such as Journey and The Unfinished Swan were destined to arrive on PS4. Sony confirmed as much today, noting that both games will arrive later this year for the latest-generation system, and stressed that both will be in 1080p. Hustle Kings was also confirmed for PS4 this week after its appearance on the PlayStation landing page.

The PS4 version of Giant Sparrow's The Unfinished Swan was leaked in mid-July by a Korean ratings board. As for Journey, it topped the list of Joystiq's favorite games of 2012 after its celebrated March 2012 launch that resulted in a handful of GDCA awards and a Grammy nomination for composer Austin Wintory.

Typically, you're being told to slow down in an MMO whose focus is the destination: the endgame. All the good stuff is at the end. The best dungeons are there. The best gear is there. The best PvP content and titles and achievements are there. The players the devs cater to are there. Patches and expansions provide new content there. In fact, the only reason to play the rest of the game is to level up to get there. The midgame is a hindrance, a barrier to the "real" game, and it's usually neglected by developers once most players are through it.

So if games themselves reward you only for arriving at the destination, why on earth should you feel bad for not savoring the journey?

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activity-vs-achievementarenanetbsccamelot-unchainedclassic-guild-warsdestinationeditorialendgamefeaturedgame-designguild-warsguild-wars-1gwgw1john-woodenjourneyjourney-vs-destinationmidgameop-edopinionrantrantsworking-as-intendedFri, 25 Jul 2014 13:00:00 -0400319|20935207http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/14/journey-composer-says-new-afm-contract-wont-solve-intimidation/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/14/journey-composer-says-new-afm-contract-wont-solve-intimidation/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/14/journey-composer-says-new-afm-contract-wont-solve-intimidation/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#comments
Earlier this week, the American Federation of Musicians threatenedJourneycomposer Austin Wintory with a $50,000 fine for creating music for a video game. Wintory's actions were allegedly in violation of a contract enacted in October 2012, but a new agreement between the AFM and Microsoft is changing the rules, at least for the house that Bill Gates built.

Variety reports that effective immediately and until December 2016, Microsoft will be able to use composers who belong to the AFM, so long as they adhere to a scale wage agreement of $300 per musician for a three-hour session. According to AFM president Ray Hair, the new contract "allows the game publisher to record a track, use it for that video game, throughout the franchise and across all platforms for that franchise."

Wintory expressed his thoughts on the new contract via Twitter, stating that, "There are DEFINITE problems with this contract but if even ONE session emerges from [the contract] it's a substantial step up from the last two years." Wintory also believes that the contract will not get rid of the "threat and intimidation-based culture within the union."

You can listen to the theme Wintory has composed for the upcoming Abzu via SoundCloud.

Variety, Twitter, (2)
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abzuamerican-federation-of-musiciansaustin-wintorycontractjourneymicrosoftmusicSat, 14 Jun 2014 16:30:00 -040011|20912543http://www.joystiq.com/2014/05/28/journey-studio-nets-7-million-for-emotionally-engaging-game/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/05/28/journey-studio-nets-7-million-for-emotionally-engaging-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/05/28/journey-studio-nets-7-million-for-emotionally-engaging-game/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsJourneystudio thatgamecompany has raised an additional $7 million in funding for its next project, thanks to a partnership with Capital Today and other investors. Thatgamecompany announced the investment on its blog:

"With this new investment, our studio is able to scale up development efforts to focus on making the best game possible in the same spirit as flOw, Flower, and Journey. We'll also begin laying the infrastructure to self-publish, market, and distribute on our own terms for this next project and beyond. Since finishing Journey, the team has been hard at work to make an emotionally engaging experience centered around human connections for players of all ages and backgrounds."

Thatgamecompany's next game builds on the studio's vision to create "meaningful interactive experiences that inspire, connect, and emotionally touch the hearts of players around the world." Chances are it's not a first-person shooter filled with hordes of violent enemies.

Thatgamecompany said it will reveal more information about the new game as development continues, and thanked fans for their patience.

Eurogamerthatgamecompany
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flowflowerIndieInvestmentjourneyThatGameCompanyWed, 28 May 2014 12:00:00 -040011|20894172http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/30/craft-your-own-paper-journey-traveler/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/30/craft-your-own-paper-journey-traveler/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/30/craft-your-own-paper-journey-traveler/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#comments
If anyone would know how to make an adorable hooded traveler out of paper, it's the art director for Journey, Matt Nava. Nava created a step-by-step guide to crafting your own traveler, oragami-style, and developer thatgamecompany shared it with the world on Facebook.

Scroll through the comments to see some fans' completed figures, big, small, colorful and blank. Click the image below for a large version of the origami instructions.

@thatgamecompanythatgamecompany on Facebook
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journeymatt-navaorigamiPapercraftplaystationps3ThatGameCompanyWed, 30 Apr 2014 21:30:00 -040011|20878319http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/19/game-music-bundle-7-journey-broken-age-luftrausers/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/19/game-music-bundle-7-journey-broken-age-luftrausers/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/19/game-music-bundle-7-journey-broken-age-luftrausers/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#comments
Who needs AC/DC and Aerosmith for their gym workouts when you could listen to smooth grooves of video game soundtracks? The Game Music Bundle 7 from Loudr offers 17 albums of audio delights, including tunes from Austin Wintory (Journey, The Banner Saga), Peter McConnell (Broken Age, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft), and Disasterpeace (The Floor is Jelly, Fez).

The Game Music Bundle has been running for more than two years now, but if you're just now learning about it, here's how it works: for $1, you'll receive the soundtracks for The Banner Saga, Device 6, Broken Age, The Floor is Jelly and Luftrausers. By paying $10, you'll unlock 12 more albums, including a new solo piano arrangement of music from Journey.

To see all 17 albums being offered and scoop up your copy of the bundle, check out the official site. Just don't wait too long, as this particular collection will only be available until May 1.

Game Music Bundle
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bardbarianbroken-agecurious-merchandisedevice-6eldritchescape-goat-2game-music-bundleinto-the-boxjourneyluftrausersmagnetic-by-naturemusicsoul-fjordstarboundthe-banner-sagathe-floor-is-jellytribes-ascendwinnoseyawhgSat, 19 Apr 2014 11:30:00 -040011|20872171http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/14/austin-wintory-takes-inspiration-from-banner-sagas-exhausted-wa/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/14/austin-wintory-takes-inspiration-from-banner-sagas-exhausted-wa/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/14/austin-wintory-takes-inspiration-from-banner-sagas-exhausted-wa/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#comments
Austin Wintory doesn't like manipulating people. He could, pretty easily, if he wanted to, because he's a gifted musician with a knack for creating evocative music, but he doesn't have any interest in forcing you to feel a certain way. His approach to scoring a game like The Banner Saga is less about the obvious and more about the subtext - opening a door to an emotional space and letting you decide whether to walk in or not. Which sounds pretty high-minded for a game with giant warriors sporting goat horns, but that's just what's on the surface. Music's job lies in subtext.

"The game should already be, for example, sad," he explained to me at DICE. "My job is to make you understand why and add a sense of stakes and weight to what's happening, not to try and make you have this base understanding that 'Now it's sad!' as if you would have missed that."

Wintory, who admits to having worked on "not so good" movies, acknowledges that his job as composer is "a lot easier to do" when he's given excellent material to work with. Journey, he said, was so brilliant that he barely had to do anything. He could just "go in there and play" (and get nominated for a Grammy). Stoic Studio's The Banner Saga was similarly inspiring, but first he had to figure out the right way to handle its turn-based-strategy nature. He did at least know what he didn't want to do with it.

"How to score the actual turn-based-strategy combat was a big question mark for me," Wintory said. He didn't want to take the same musical route as Banner Saga's most obvious recent comparison, XCOM, which featured fast-paced music. "All due respect to XCOM, I wanted to be the exact opposite of that, where I'm doing this, trying to contemplate the best strategy and I'm hearing pop-pop-pop-pop-pop that's like wailing away telling me 'Isn't this exciting?'"

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austin wintorydice-summitjourneymusicpcplaystationps3recommendedstoic-studioThatGameCompanythe-banner-sagaFri, 14 Feb 2014 12:30:00 -050011|20830486http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/02/beyond-heavy-rain-creator-david-cage-loves-games-with-soul/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/02/beyond-heavy-rain-creator-david-cage-loves-games-with-soul/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/02/beyond-heavy-rain-creator-david-cage-loves-games-with-soul/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#comments
Since he's answered so many questions about Beyond: Two Souls, and since the PS3 game comes out next week, I decided the time was right to ask Quantic Dream CEO David Cage about some other games. Specifically, the ones he admires and that emotionally affect him.

"I love games where I can feel there is someone behind [it] ... whatever that means!" Cage said. "Sometimes you play [a game] and just feel like, 'Oh, this is just nice software developed by 200 people and it's nice, and the technology's great,' but there's no soul. And sometimes when you play a game you can feel the soul of someone behind it, and that's what I love. For me, Journey was something like this. For me, Papo & Yo was something like this. [In that game] there's really someone talking about these personal feelings that he experienced, and that's what I really love."

Cage added that he tries to put soul into the games he makes; he's both the director and writer of Beyond: Two Souls, as he was for Quantic Dream's previous PS3 game, Heavy Rain.

At a BAFTA lecture last month, Cage cited Journey, Papo & Yo, Rain, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Gone Home, and The Unfinished Swan as representative of an indie community compensating for a lack of resources with creativity, and he's clearly a proponent of indie games. I asked him if there were any major games in which he saw a similar auteur quality to what he admired in Journey and Papo & Yo.

"There are a couple," said Cage. "I think the games by Fumito Ueda. They are not indie games per se because they were produced by Sony, but there is definitely an auteur behind them, that's for sure. In Ico and Shadow of the Colossus you can feel there is someone with a soul behind them."

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beyond-two-soulsdavid-cageheavy-rainjourneypapo-and-yoplaystationps3quantic-dreamWed, 02 Oct 2013 11:45:00 -040011|20735796http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/31/journey-and-the-unfinished-swan-bundle-up-on-psn-for-15/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/31/journey-and-the-unfinished-swan-bundle-up-on-psn-for-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/31/journey-and-the-unfinished-swan-bundle-up-on-psn-for-15/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsJourney and TheUnfinished Swan are available in one beautiful bundle, wandering onto PS3 for $15 via the PlayStation Store. They're siblings in the gaming realm, both offering individualized, introspective gameplay, though brought about by disparate worlds and mechanics.

"We're incredibly happy to have The Unfinished Swan bundled with Journey because our game owes such a big debt to Journey and all the other games from thatgamecompany," says Giant Sparrow president Ian Dallas, creator of The Unfinished Swan. "It's not too much of a stretch to say that our game wouldn't exist without them. I think it was the warm reception for Flow and Flower that gave Sony the courage to fund our game, made by another team of inexperienced folks with unusual and impractical ideas."

Journey was our No. 1 game of the year for 2012, for offering a "joyous illustration of how games can effectively stir and converse with players." TheUnfinished Swan, we found, is a whimsical, fantastical journey through the nostalgia of childhood amazement. Joy, whimsy and fantasy - sounds like a good bundle to us.

PlayStation.Blog
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bundlegiant-sparrowjourneyplaystationps3SONYThatGameCompanythe-unfinished-swanWed, 31 Jul 2013 15:00:00 -040011|20682488http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/23/the-soapbox-a-new-mode-of-interaction/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/23/the-soapbox-a-new-mode-of-interaction/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/23/the-soapbox-a-new-mode-of-interaction/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#comments
Video games are, by definition, an interactive medium. The entire point of playing a video game is that you get to explore the world, talk to the characters, slay the monsters, and reap the rewards. And you do all this with a keyboard and mouse or controller or futuristic headset or whatever. Players are in charge; players create their own experience.

Every video game ever released hinges on player interaction to tell its story. Without the player, a game's inhabitants are meaningless pixels guarding empty checkpoints, staggering through the woods with a groan, or walking in endless circles selling bread.

In order for a game to function, players must be able to interact with it. The only question is how.

Very little was revealed about the game, though Takahashi asked the audience to "imagine blocks coming to life." The idea came from playing with his son, said Takahashi. The game will be present at tonight's Horizon mixer, and we'll be on the scene.

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funomenajourneykatamari-damacykeita-takahashinoby-noby-boyThu, 13 Jun 2013 14:23:00 -040011|20620960http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/journey-producer-robin-hunicke-to-speak-at-boston-festival-of-in/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/journey-producer-robin-hunicke-to-speak-at-boston-festival-of-in/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/journey-producer-robin-hunicke-to-speak-at-boston-festival-of-in/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#comments
The Boston Festival of Indie Games has announced that its keynote speaker will be Robin Hunicke, former executive producer of Journey. Hunicke's talk, Finding Meaning in Gameplay, will "focus on how developers can create games that inspire new feelings, by looking inward and examining the everyday experiences of their own lives," according to the festival's site.

Hunicke left thatgamecompany in late March 2012 for Tiny Speck, before co-founding indie studio Funomena in September 2012 with former thatgamecompany programmer Martin Middleton.

The Boston Festival of Indie Games, which is in its second year of existence, will be held on September 14. Its planners are raising funds on Kickstarter to improve the event, and are currently $2,414 shy of their $15,000 goal with 11 days left in the funding campaign. Incentive for those pledging $25 or more (aside from a warm, charitable feeling) is a PC bundle that includes Fieldrunners and Go Home Dinosaurs.

Journey Collector's Edition has wandered onto the European PSN for €19.99/£15.99. The bundle includes the Joystiq Game of the Year 2012, Journey, along with thatgamecompany's other creations, Flower and fl0w.

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journeyjourney-collectors-editionplaystationps3Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:30:00 -040011|20543369http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/catherine-stalks-ps-plus-eu-on-may-1-velocity-ultra-shoots-in-m/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/catherine-stalks-ps-plus-eu-on-may-1-velocity-ultra-shoots-in-m/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/catherine-stalks-ps-plus-eu-on-may-1-velocity-ultra-shoots-in-m/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsRaunchy puzzler Catherineis one of the five games coming to Europe's PlayStation Plus next month. The not-so-sheepish Atlus game joins Malicious and the previously announced Hitman Absolution in the PS3's Instant Game Collection on May 1.

Meanwhile, Vita-owning subscribers can power up with a couple of shoot-em-ups. First up is the oddball steampunk of Sine Mora on May 8, and that's followed by Velocity Ultra on May 15. The Vita upgrade of Futurlab's Mini was penciled in for May in North America, so its arrival on PS Plus EU likely means it'll be released on PSN the same week.

As ever, newbies shooting up the place forces old stuff to scream in terror as it flees the service. F1 Race Stars, Okami HD, and Quantum Conundrum leave a collective puff of smoke on May 1, with Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward and Thomas Was Alone soon scampering after on May 8 and May 22 respectively.

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catherineeuropefuturlabjourneyplaystationplaystation-plusplaystation-vitaps3PSNvelocity-ultravitaWed, 17 Apr 2013 09:00:00 -040011|20543176http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/world-of-glue-gurney-spy-parity-more-free-in-mumble-indie-bun/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/world-of-glue-gurney-spy-parity-more-free-in-mumble-indie-bun/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/world-of-glue-gurney-spy-parity-more-free-in-mumble-indie-bun/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsPippin Barr is up to his academic tricks again, this time with a bundle of six new games based on popular indie titles as if they were misheard in conversation: Gurney, World of Glue, Spy Parity, Proteas, 30 Flights of Loathing and Carp Life. These make up the Mumble Indie Bungle, and five of them are completely free, available to download for PC and Mac on Barr's site. Carp Life - a play on IGF mega-winner Cart Life - is extra special, available for $1 or any price over it.

"The idea for the collection, in keeping with the titles, is that it's meant to be this set of crappy indie games that someone perhaps bought for you, mistaking them for the originals," Barr writes on his blog. "So you might excitedly unwrap your new bundle of games to find something like Subpar Meat Boy and Flour (Instead of Super Meat Boy and Flower). Not that I'm using those two titles, though both were originally near the top of the list."

Gurney - a title parody of thatgamecompany's Journey - has players type out religious phrases as they scroll across the bottom of the screen, over the rolling, flickering lights of a hospital ceiling and anxious faces of doctors. The words become jumbled as the player loses consciousness, and Barr warns that eventually the game can cause seizures, so be careful with that one. Or, have fun.

World of Glue is a platforming play on World of Goo, Spy Parity is a jab at Chris Hecker's Spy Party, Proteas is an experiment on Proteus and 30 Flights of Loathing is a step away from Blendo Games' Thirty Flights of Loving.

Check out all the games your aging aunt thinks you're talking about on Barr's site, and buy Carp Life for whatever you think it's worth right here.

thatgamecompany is probably the last group of folks we expect these shenanigans from; They're always so artsy and sincere! But there must be a few yuksters around Sony's studio in Santa Monica, because the studio created this faux trailer for April Fool's Day, threatening to invade the serene landscape of Journey with some raucous Rocket Death Match DLC.

Then again, maybe it makes sense. Getting vaporized with an across-the-map rocket shot in Halo might not be the same kind of emotion that we felt at the end of Journey, but they can both be pretty tearful experiences.

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april-foolsapril-fools-2013comedyjokestersjourneyplaystationps3rocket-matchsonythatgamecompanyTue, 02 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -040011|20525910http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/31/the-daily-grind-would-you-play-a-chat-free-mmo/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/31/the-daily-grind-would-you-play-a-chat-free-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/31/the-daily-grind-would-you-play-a-chat-free-mmo/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsA recent post by blogger Bhagpuss intrigued me, as he detailed his experiences playing a pseudo-MMO called The Endless Forest. In this game, every player is a deer going through an (endless) forest, exploring the wilderness and tricking out his or her beast. What interested Bhagpuss and me is that there's no chat function in the game, just various emotes that can be used to connect with other players.

This made me think of the recent console sleeper hit Journey. In that game, players couldn't directly chat either, but did have a limited array of visual cues to signal intent and foster teamwork. I've read plenty of stories where players say that being denied chat actually made them feel closer to their teammates and really think about the value of human connection.

Therefore, I'm putting today's discussion into the realm of the slightly absurd. Would you play a chat-free MMO? How could such a thing work over the long haul? What advantages and disadvantages would come into play?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

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chatchat-freedaily-grinddeerjourneyopiniontdgthe-daily-grindthe-endless-forestSun, 31 Mar 2013 08:00:00 -0400319|20510172http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/journey-sweeps-game-developers-choice-awards-wins-6-of-11/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/journey-sweeps-game-developers-choice-awards-wins-6-of-11/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/journey-sweeps-game-developers-choice-awards-wins-6-of-11/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsJourney and thatgamecompany claimed six of the 11 total prizes at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony during GDC 2013 tonight: the Game of the Year Award, Best Audio, Best Game Design, Best Visual Arts, Best Downloadable Game and the Innovation Award. We have to say, the GDCA has good taste.

The first-ever GDCA Audience Award prize went to Arkane Studios' Dishonored. FTL: Faster Than Light picked up the award for Best Debut, and Telltale's The Walking Dead walked away with the Best Narrative award. Take a peek at the complete list of winners below.

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androidGDCGDC-2013GDCAiosipadiphonejourneymacmicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3ThatGameCompanyxboxWed, 27 Mar 2013 23:40:00 -040011|20521292http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/thatinterview-with-thatgamecompany-co-founder-jenova-chen/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/thatinterview-with-thatgamecompany-co-founder-jenova-chen/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/thatinterview-with-thatgamecompany-co-founder-jenova-chen/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsIn a relatively quiet, upstairs nook of the rain-soaked Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX, thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen and I sat down to discuss Journey, his company's future and his thoughts on free-to-play business models, among other things.

For Chen, 2012 was an auspicious year. Journey was a critical smash hit, earning top honors at DICE and a five-award sweep at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts game awards, among other illustrious achievements. Beyond its success with the press, however, Journey's release represented an even larger milestone for Chen and thatgamecompany: The developer's three-game exclusivity agreement with Sony had come to an end.

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flowflowerjenova-chenjourneySXSW-2013thatgamecompanyTue, 12 Mar 2013 18:15:00 -040011|20497569http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/05/journey-dishonored-and-the-room-win-big-with-bafta-game-awards/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/05/journey-dishonored-and-the-room-win-big-with-bafta-game-awards/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/05/journey-dishonored-and-the-room-win-big-with-bafta-game-awards/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsJourney took top honours at this year's BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) game awards, with five different gongs going to thatgamecompany for Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Best Online Multiplayer, Best Game Design, and Best Original Music.The Unfinished Swan picked up two awards, for Game Innovation and Debut Game. Dishonored won the award for Best Game in 2013, and iOS tactile puzzler The Room picked up an award for the Best British Game.

Valve's Gabe Newell was given an Academy Fellowship award for his storied career, while the "Ones to Watch" award (meant to showcase the best young game dev talent) was given to a game called Starcrossed, made by students working with the Dare to Be Digital competition.

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austin-wintoryjourneyplaystationps3soundtrackthatgamecompanyTue, 05 Mar 2013 03:30:00 -050011|20487980http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/02/journey-art-director-opens-new-studio-first-game-to-include-mus/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/02/journey-art-director-opens-new-studio-first-game-to-include-mus/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/02/journey-art-director-opens-new-studio-first-game-to-include-mus/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsMatt Nava, former art director for Journey and Flower, announced that he will be opening a new game development studio, Giant Squid. Nava teamed up wth Los Angeles television and film company Ink Factory to found the studio, and will serve as creative director.

Nava is joined by Nicholas Clark, who assisted in developing Journey, Flow and Flower and will act as an advisor to the developer. Grammy-nominatedJourney composer Austin Wintory has signed on to score the music for the first Giant Squid game, according to the developer's official site. It's unclear if Wintory will join the team on a permanent basis.

When Kellee Santiago resigned from her previous gig as president of thatgamecompany, she left behind a job running one of the most highly acclaimed indie game studios in the industry. But she left on a high note, having helped craft Journey -- not just one of the best games of 2012, but a high mark on the medium. Her next move is similarly bold, taking the reins of the Android-powered OUYA console's digital content library as "Head of Developer Relations." On Santiago's LinkedIn profile, she describes her new job as, "curator of content for the games section on OUYA" (among other things); a job she's plenty qualified for given her time on the board of the Indie Fund (an angel investment group of successful indie game devs). "This role seems almost like a logical extension of everything I've done up to this point," Santiago told us in an email interview this afternoon. Indeed it does. In her new role at OUYA, Santiago will be "working with many developers globally and in different capacities," she said, as well as managing the digital library that users at home see.

"I'm very passionate about empowering new voices in game development so we can have more variety in game content -- that's what initially led me to co-founding thatgamecompany, and Indie Fund, and working with the Independent Games Summit, and IndieCade," she added. The job of course includes courting devs, even if that means OUYA assists in the funding and publishing of those devs' games. "OUYA is doing both," Santiago told us -- that's no doubt assisted by the $8.5 million OUYA pulled in during its Kickstarter funding campaign.

Despite her passion for indies, she said there's no "arbitrary restrictions for developing on OUYA," and that her guiding principle is identifying, "developers and content that for whatever reasons wouldn't be able to exist on any other console." In other words, there's no reason one of the biggies -- think EA, Activision, Ubisoft and others -- couldn't get in on the action. Square Enix has already promised a variety of titles, so it seems a given that others will sign on. One developer who's still curiously uncertain about the console, however? Santiago herself. Though she teased on Twitter earlier today that she'll, "still be making stuff, too," and not to worry, she wouldn't offer us any more details about her plans for development on OUYA. Again, it seems a given, but we can't help but want to know more sooner than later.

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gamedevelopmenthdpostcrossindiefundinterviewjourneykelleesantiagoouyathatgamecompanyThu, 28 Feb 2013 18:04:00 -050021|20483638http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/12/journey-walking-dead-far-cry-3-dominate-bafta-2013-nominations/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/12/journey-walking-dead-far-cry-3-dominate-bafta-2013-nominations/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/12/journey-walking-dead-far-cry-3-dominate-bafta-2013-nominations/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Joystiq#commentsJourney scooped eight nominations in the British Academy of Film and Television's Games Awards this year. As if it hadn't won enough of the like, thatgamecompany's PS3 odyssey is a contender for BAFTA's Best Game award, competing with Dishonored, FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3, Far Cry 3, and The Walking Dead for the prize.

It's the two latter games that also lead the way in terms of nominations; Far Cry 3 received six nods, while The Walking Dead picked up seven, including two in the Performer category for Melissa Hutchinson and Dave Fennoy's respective portrayals of Clementine and Lee.Dear Esther is also clearly popular at BAFTA HQ. The melancholic game, developed by indie studio thechineseroom, can boast a very impressive five nominations including ones in the British Game and Debut Game categories.

The full list of nominees is after the break. BAFTA's Games Awards take place on March 5.